This invention relates to a plate cleaning apparatus and a cleaning roller therefor both arranged in a production line of miscellaneous plates such as resin plate, glass plate and printed circuit plate.
A conventional plate cleaning apparatus for removing dust from a surface of a plate is provided with a cleaning roller and air stream supplying nozzles. In Japanese patent public disclosure No. 230390/86 issued on Oct. 14, 1986, there is disclosed a dust eliminating apparatus for printed circuit plates employing a roller brush, air supplying nozzles and a dust eliminating ion generator.
The plate cleaning apparatus presently in use, however, is confronted with a problem that a swirl is produced nearby the surface of the plate thereby entraining a dust and directing it to the surface again. As a result, the dust is not effectively removed from the plate. Another problem is the fact that high speed air stream entraining a dust is exhausted from the apparatus, so that external air becomes contaminated by the dust. This is particularly a serious problem because this type of apparatus is often utilized in a clean room for processing electronic components.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a cleaning roller utilized in above-described plate cleaning apparatus. A conventional cleaning roller comprises a longitudinal shaft, a rubber core wound around the shaft and a nonwoven fabric cylindrical cover for contacting with a plate. Such conventional roller has a drawback that a particle of dust tends to fall off the surface of the roller and sticks to the plate again. Another drawback is that the elasticity of the rubber core is so high that the nonwoven fabric is easily worn out and the life of the roller is considerably short. As the roller is worn out its surface becomes uneven, so that the plate is not evenly cleaned.